Time Signature Nothing to lose...

Genre: thrash metal

Remember when thrash metal was political? Well, those days are not gone? Enter Crawling Manifest's "Radical Absolution".

We are dealing with pretty old school thrash metal with roots back to the more aggressive side of the scene in the 1980s. Thus, the listener is treated to fast beats and bobbing midtempo sections, razor sharp riffage and harsh vocals. The opener is an ominous instrumental, which is followed by the aggressive thrasher 'World War III' and the even more aggressive 'Nothing to Lose'. 'Right to Refrain Silence' is a midtempo, mosh-friendly affair, and 'Radical Absolution' is slightly reminiscent of pre-"Rust In Peace" Megadeth. 'Blood Born' is a heavier affair which draws considerably on hardcore influences along the lines of Agnostic Front. This might also be the most modern-sounding track on the album as the remaining two tracks take us back to more 80s-inspired material again. Lyrically, Crawling Manifest take us back to the day when thrash metal lyrics were political and, while addressing contemporary issues, there isn't far between this album and the lyrical themes found on 80s thrash metal classics. We have 'World War III' criticizing "politicians covered in green", 'Right to Refrain Silence' which decries how "justice for all is now in atrophy", and 'Revolution'. In a way, the lyrics capture the insane political landscape of the world these days pretty well, and wrapt it all in thrashy anger.

The songs are well composed and dynamic enough not to get boring. The production is a bit rough and reminds me of a well-produced 90s demo-tape (and that's definitely charming). This fits the aggressive music pretty well actually although I can imagine that the first couple of tracks might be grating to listeners who are accustomed to the more polished sound of much contemporary metal. Personally, I do like the production though. As mentioned it fits the music quite well.

Fans of old school thrash metal are bound to enjoy this album.